European Court Rules That UK Mass Surveillance Program Violates Right To Privacy

Information collected at the installation is sent to GCHQ's headquarters in Cheltenham (pictured) and shared with the National Security Agency in the US

Daily Mail: British spies violated privacy and free speech laws with GCHQ programme revealed by Edward Snowden, European court rules

* Court ruled Britain's programme of mass surveillance violated right to privacy
* The court ruled the existence of GCHQ surveillance programme was not illegal
* But interception of journalistic material violated right to freedom of information
* The case was brought to the ECHR by a group of journalists and rights activists

Britain's programme of mass surveillance, revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden as part of his sensational leaks on US spying, violated people's right to privacy, Europe's top rights court ruled Thursday.

Ruling in the case of Big Brother Watch and Others versus the United Kingdom, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, said the interception of journalistic material also violated the right to freedom of information.

The case was brought by a group of journalists and rights activists who believe that their data may have been targeted.

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More News On The European Court Ruling That UK Mass Surveillance Program Violates Right To Privacy

GCHQ data collection regime violated human rights, court rules -- Guardian
British spies broke law in GCHQ mass surveillance, says European Court of Human Rights -- The Telegraph
Edward Snowden surveillance powers ruled unlawful -- BBC
Britain’s mass web-spying faulted by European rights court -- Reuters
UK mass surveillance programme violates human rights, European court rules -- The Independent
UK mass surveillance violates right to privacy, rules European court -- DW
“Bulk interception” by GCHQ (and NSA) violated human rights charter, European court rules -- Ars Technica